Connector shut in book fair deadline rush

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

A 500-metre stretch of the Park Circus connector in front of Science City will be closed to traffic for around two months — at least till end-January — because of a last-minute bid to meet a deadline set by chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

The stretch was closed on Wednesday and the diversions are:

Vehicles headed towards Ultadanga and moving down the connector would have to take the road behind ITC Sonar. This road moves along the entry gates of Milan Mela and takes a right turn to reach the Bypass.

Garia-bound vehicles would have to take the road that moves along the perimeter wall of the hotel to reach the Parama rotary. From here, they would turn right to move down the Bypass.

Vehicles approaching Park Circus from Garia can take the service road along Science City to reach the Park Circus connector.

Those coming from Ultadanga and headed towards Park Circus can take the road in front of Science City. This road is parallel to the service road.

“A small stretch of the road near Science City will remain closed. The rest of the artery would remain open as usual,” said Vivek Bharadwaj, the CEO of the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA). “We hope to finish the work by January-end.”

Work on the underpass connecting Science City and Milan Mela, across the road, has suddenly found momentum after chief minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the construction to be completed before the Calcutta Book Fair starts on January 26, said sources.

The 55-metre underpass — tentatively to be named after Swami Vikenananda — is a part of the Rs 317-crore Parama-Park Circus flyover project, aimed at reducing pedestrian passage over the Park Circus Connector near Parama.